23 comments

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  42

  1 year ago

  to add on #7: look at your feet when you walk. If they point out, train yourself to walk with them straight ahead. Sounds silly but a trainer I worked with pointed this out to me and I've since forced myself to walk with them straight (took awhile to overcome 40+ years of muscle memory!). This resets the position of the pelvis and should more or less automatically make you walk straight up and confident. after awhile it's just your normal stride.
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  FFB

  1 year ago

  Great list. I've read more on my commute daily than I did in both high school and college. I also use my commute time to catch up on sleep. An extra 20 minutes each way helps!
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  Curmudgeon

  1 year ago

  As I read this, I'm sitting in a hotel room in a foreign country (well, okay, Canada), having awakened at 5:15, spent half an hour in the fitness center, and had steak and eggs for breakfast (an indulgence I don't do at home, primarily because of cholesterol). The point is that this list is even more essential when you travel, both to help your body to adjust and to make up for the natural tendency to do unhealthy things on the road.
  
  Another one I would add is dress well. Your job may not require it, and it probably won't help get you promoted, but others won't respect you if you don't respect yourself. If you have the discipline to look your best, you demonstrate you have the capacity to care about other parts of your life.
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  Kyle @ Rather-Be-Shopping

  1 year ago

  Nice List!
  
  I would add one more, hang out with like minded people at work. Avoid the chatty-kathys and the folks who thrive on office politics and rumors. If they try and engage you in this stuff, simply excuse yourself and walk away. They will get the hint and leave you out of it. This will go along ways toward your mental happiness in the workplace.
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  budgie

  1 year ago

  You advise leaving work early -- do you also recommend turning up early? Or just being focussed and getting the job done within the required hours? (Might not be humanly possible.)
  
  Great list of suggestions though - I especially like the ones around grooming and lunching. They run counter to my frugal instincts but make complete sense.
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  Know The Ledge

  1 year ago

  This is an interesting point of view on making your daily grind go better for many different basic reasons that we tend to forget most of the time. I'm working hard on #12 lately!
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  thisisbeth

  1 year ago

  This is excellent food for thought. I'm a night person by nature, so I'm trying to train myself to go to bed earlier, because I'm usually too short on sleep, and I know it affects me in too many ways.
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  Steve (Brip Blap)

  1 year ago

  @42: Excellent point! I have always been in fear of being pigeon-toed ever since it was explained to me what it was, so I try very hard to do just what you say. I roll my feet out a bit (so I wear out my shoes quickly) but I found the WalkFit inserts do a great job of almost forcing you to keep your feet facing forward. But willpower and focus is probably a far better way to accomplish that.
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  Steve (Brip Blap)

  1 year ago

  @FFB: Yeah, don't get me started on commute time. I've managed to watch several complete speeches from TED and read all kinds of stuff that I never would have gotten around to reading during my time at home. It's actually the only thing I enjoy about commuting - getting a chance to read and watch informative-type videos on my Sansa.
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  Erik

  1 year ago

  hey, I really liked this post. You've got some good tips. I am always looking for ways to make the 9 to 5 job more interesting and enjoyable.
  
  I wrote about this post on my site
  
  http://www.erikfolgate.com/improving-yourself/e...
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  Steve (Brip Blap)

  1 year ago

  @Curmudgeon: Canada still counts as foreign, at least until we decide we need more oil fields.... but yes, you're completely right. I spent years on the road thinking "wow, THIS is my chance to have beer and french fries and pizza on the company tab! Sleep late! Put aside all other cares, because, you know, I'm On The Road." That was of course idiotic, and I wasted a lot of time and wrecked my health. And you're completely right about dressing well. I find I'm much happier being dressed up a little at work than I am if I show up in the rumpled khakis.
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  Steve (Brip Blap)

  1 year ago

  @Kyle: Absolutely, that's a good addition to the list. Hanging out with positive, like minded people is good at work - but it's good anywhere. People are afraid if they don't play office politics they'll get marginalized, but you're right - mental happiness will get you further than conspiring to throw your cubicle neighbor under the bus.
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  dawn

  1 year ago

  Smiling is HUGE...
  It makes you feel better & everyone around you feel better.
  People seem to have a very small quota on the amount of smiles they are willing to share in a day. Have you noticed that?
  I am basically a pretty shy individual - but try to smile throughout my day & it can really make a huge difference in my attitude, as well as people I come in contact with.
  Like you said in the beginning of your post - it's free... (and it makes us all a little bit sexier)!
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  Steve (Brip Blap)

  1 year ago

  @budgie: Turn up early but not insanely early. I have done both (show up late, leave late versus show up early, leave early) and it's a lot easier to get stuff done if you arrive early, get your tasks out of the way and clear your day for relaxed meetings, etc. But honestly, stay focused and get out as quickly as possible, regardless. I'm all for a friendly chat - and I probably do too much of it - but when you have stuff to do hammer down, do it, and leave. Too many people are too worried about putting in face time. And as far as being humanly possible - your job will always be there. I have worked on deadlines for years and years, and let me tell you - not once did anyone fire me or cut off a finger as punishment for missing one. Your job will never END, per se, so try not to sell your life to your employer cheaply. Emails will wait til the next day. Work can - 99 times out of 100 - wait until the next day.
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  Steve (Brip Blap)

  1 year ago

  @KTL, thisisbeth: Thanks and good luck on hitting those two points!
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  Steve (Brip Blap)

  1 year ago

  @Dawn: Yep! I need to do it more - I can get a sullen look pretty easily when I'm mentally "somewhere else" - but smiling and making people feel more at ease makes ME feel more at ease, and consequently less shy.
  
  I'm willing to bet there isn't a person in the world who wouldn't be better off by smiling more, no matter how much they smile already :)
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  plonkee

  1 year ago

  It's funny, I'm not a morning person at all. And, it doesn't matter what time I get in, it never feels like time to go home until at least 5:30 - I try and get in for 9 so that I'm not spending my entire life at work. I'm just not into having my early evenings at home, it's my most productive time, and I've got nothing important to do.
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  Steve (Brip Blap)

  1 year ago

  @plonkee: Of course if that what suits you, stick with it. I used to be a late-in, late-out person at work, too. I slept late(r) although I've never been a late sleeper, and I felt the (slightly) quieter late afternoon was better for working.
  
  I will say, though, that then I tried out the early schedule - forced myself to get up early for an extended period of time to really "get into it" and it felt and worked out much better.
  
  But again, I can't really argue that if you feel comfortable with your schedule, stick to it - but sometimes it's worth it to shake up your routine a bit...
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  bubelah

  1 year ago

  I totally agree with "taking shower after getting home from work". I've alwas done it when I used to work. As soon as I got home I jumped in the shower to "wash the stress away". For me it was more mental than physical. I always imagined that I wash away all the dirt from the subways and buses and all the stress and negativity of the day, and leave the work behind. For me it was important to change into comfortable house clothes. It was an act of seprating work life and home life, sort of like switching gears for the day.
  Also, strongly agree on grooming and looking nice. Not only it makes you approachable, but also makes you more confident and not self-counscious.
  Good list, Steve.
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  asithi

  1 year ago

  My younger brother uses his evening commute time to talk to his family. Whenever I get a call around 7pm, I know it is him. Even at 7pm, we would be able to chat for an hour or more before he gets home (LA traffic).
  
  Saying 'good morning' makes a big difference too. I always say it, even to people I do not really know and the grumpy guy that ignores me. For the last 8 months I've been at my new job, I have only gotten Mr. Grumpy to acknowledge my daily morning greetings 2 times. But I think I might be wearing him down because the other day I got a small nod even though he did not say anything.
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  financialgal

  1 year ago

  Terrific list. I'll have to refer to it when I am dragging at work. Getting up early has another benefit for me; because I take the subway to work, I find that getting to the train station earlier in the morning virtually guarantees that I will get a seat on the train, instead of having to play musical chairs with my fellow commuters. Having to stand during the entire 45 minute commute-from-#$%@ definitely sets the tone for the entire workday.
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  kstaib

  1 year ago

  Great list! There are so many ways we can improve our work grind. I love the smiling one. I've added that too may arsenal and it's helping my co-workers and me as well.
  
  We just have to be creative and be willing to try what fits our personality.
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  Canadian

  1 year ago

  I agree with most of these, except "have lunch with humans". This really depends on what kind of person you are and what kind of job you have. If you are an introvert and your job is dealing with people all day, then a nice quiet lunch with a good book is just what you need to recharge your batteries. I am an introvert. Part of my job involves serving the public. I share an office with a talkative colleague. I want to be alone at lunch time! I like to go for a walk and then read for a little while. Then I feel ready to face the afternoon.
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